MIRTFnet: Analysis of miRNA Regulated Transcription Factors
2011

MIRTFnet: Analysis of miRNA Regulated Transcription Factors

Sample size: 43 publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Naeem Haroon Küffner, Robert Zimmer, Kashanchi Fatah

Primary Institution: Institut für Informatik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany

Hypothesis

Can MIRTFnet effectively identify miRNA controlled transcription factors as active regulators based on differential gene expression?

Conclusion

MIRTFnet reliably detects active transcription factors that are influenced by miRNAs, showing their involvement in cancer-related processes.

Supporting Evidence

  • MIRTFnet detected active regulators in 42 out of 43 miRNA transfection experiments.
  • The Wilcoxon test identified 98% of transfecting miRNAs as active.
  • 86 transcription factors were identified as active using the Wilcoxon test.
  • Models constructed showed substantial overlaps in active transcription factors across different miRNA experiments.

Takeaway

This study created a tool called MIRTFnet that helps find which proteins are controlled by tiny RNA molecules in cancer cells, showing how they work together.

Methodology

The study analyzed 43 gene expression profiles from miRNA transfection experiments to identify active transcription factors using statistical tests.

Potential Biases

Potential bias due to reliance on computational predictions and existing literature for target gene associations.

Limitations

The method relies on existing databases and predictions for miRNA-target relationships, which may introduce inaccuracies.

Participant Demographics

Human cell lines were used in the miRNA transfection experiments.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.05

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0022519

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